london-based producer cera alba pairs up with vocalist zahra for a pair of tough tracks on jamie jones’ hottrax this june featuring a remix from stockholms tiger stripes. since his humble beginnings several years ago the newcastle-born artist has cemented a reputation for consistency, with releases appearing on the likes of hot creations, moon harbour, viva music, avotre, madtech and gruuv. as a dj he’s been making regular appearances across europe, including venues such as watergate berlin, sankeys ibiza, brixton academy london, not to mention festivals such as hideout. taking over me is a dark and moody roller from the get-go. robust drums and mesmerizing atmospherics form its basis whilst zahras soulful vocals and a cavernous low-end rumbles throughout to its rhythm as a piercing vocal and metallic elements ebb in and out of the mix. tiger stripes then provides a crunchy remix of taking over me, distorting zahras vocals whilst incorporating tantalizing synths into his own stomping rendition.

it s not clear who is behind the instinct label, but with this first release the mysterious producer displays an impressive grasp of dark garage and minimal house. the shuffling funk of -the way- is an instant hit, marrying the razor sharp beats with melancholic synths and a killer bass wobble. -pressure- deals in more abstract tones, but there s no let up in the nagging insistence of those crisp hi hats. -cocktail- meanwhile takes a more uptempo approach with its bongo-embellished beat and subtle melodic fragments woven through the mix, and then -instinct- knocks the ball out of the park with an utterly deadly 2-step workout for those who love ghost records and all that ace, moody pre-dubstep busines

whacked out from the whisky soaked bristles of firecracker hq, the danish dondada dj sports (he of regelbau and help recordings fame) offers up a maiden lp of vast and varied sonic states. get set for solid rave aesthetics aplenty - the double packs journey trudges over a musical milieu of broke-beaten, ambient driven house and techno, melancholy junglist and dubwise downtempo. one foot in the past, one foot in the future and killing the present - a perfect and timely addition to the firecracker canon.

during kris baha s migration north, an introduction with berlin cult figure dane//close has led to power station s latest offering and debut mini lp the miniature industrial complex. originally released on limited cassette via noisekolln tapes, the lp brilliantly displays the sameheads resident s appetite for all things wave, industrial and weird, with an eye firmly to the floor. opener rockbox plays like a forgotten b-side dub, 80s drums chug as brazen noises bounce off a delicately nostalgic lead. fourth voice slings low, incessant bass drones as sci-fi vox and metallic hits to the rhein. mercy mercy increases the tempo, an arpeggio leads the way as intensity rises, unnerving samples introduce a flurry of gunshot snares. flip over to ancient rome , a dancefloor musica lirica complete with a forward baseline, air raid sirens and raw drum workouts, the fall of the roman empire! not part of the original cassette release, beard maintains the energy, wild guitar shreds in a neurotic ritmo frenzy alan vega crossing into 2016 dance floors faintly comes to mind. and lastly rounding out with fine experimental ender thunder ...mayday

desiderii marginis long out of print debut album from 1997 “songs over ruins” is given a proper re-issue, carefully remastered by johan levin himself and with new artworks as cd and limited edition lp. a landmark in the genre, with it’s desolate, minimalistic and grief stricken odes to religious and spiritual burdens. a foray through abandoned ruins and a reflection on the passing of time and the impermanence of all things physical. outstanding in quality and production skills, this mesmerizing and foreboding journey is at times tranquil and melodic and also dives into more martial like percussive elements and industrial atmospheres. classics like these definitely need to be discovered still and also rediscovered, and it’s with great pleasure that we make it available once again.

we’re glad to welcome back aun to cyclic law for their latest opus! aun’s music as always suggested forays into other dimensions, be it to imaginary worlds, industrial wastelands, through space and time, or via mind altered states. from the ominous dystopian artwork, of a city being drained of its energy by some mysterious black hole, to the first notes of the title track “fiat lux” we are once again transported on aun’s otherworldly travelling path. ever since the space industrial and power electronics of aun’s previous cyclic law cult release “black pyramid”, the world has become even more sinister, but in contrast, “fiat lux” exudes even more of aun’s melancholic hopefulness. the disintegrating chords and densely textured waves, anchored by a left field industrial pulse, invoke occult drug enhanced, future psychedelia. created in part in their montreal studio, these tracks were extensively performed live, prior to recording, and refined while on tour breaks in montpellier, barcelona and tokyo. the energy of these cities is definitely at work in these recordings, which also features a french connection of experimental heavy hitters: witxes, frédéric d. oberland and philippe petit have helped round out dumais and leblanc’ arsenal. fiat lux: let there be light, from light will come darkness.

jalal salaam and ewonee’s past lives stands among the top releases of 2015. and in 2016 it sees a deluxe vinyl release via house shoes’ street corner music. the 2lp will be complete with all instrumentals, and an insert containing all lyrics. the urgency of these recordings is reflective of the times we live in. jalal salaam’s raps are a perfect marriage to ewonee’s production, eschewing contemporary sounds for an album incredibly well balanced between tradition and progression. “this is one of the best albums i have heard in years, and i’m proud release what i consider a new classic from some of the new guard of new york city’s storied history of hip hop music...” • born in mount vernon, ny, ewonee is the first signee of east coast record label & producer collective, beat haus records, and featured on boiler room (link here) • jalal salaam is out of ardsley/dobbs ferry ny, has collaborated with artists such as ivan ave and fredfades and known for his radical, in depth, and emotionally free lyrical style • this deluxe 2xlp includes the full vocal album along with instrumentals and a lyric sheet.
“best rap album i’ve heard in a long time..” -house shoes

on thanksgiving 1989, kmart employee and audio enthusiast mark davis wandered behind the customer service desk to check out the store’s sound system, which looped muzak and top 40 plus ads and announcements under the banner of “kmrt, the kmart radio network.” when he found last month’s tape hadn’t been thrown out yet, he pocketed it and made a habit of doing this, collecting 56 tapes from 1989-1992. in september 2015, davis uploaded the tapes to archive.org with the humble intention of preserving them. but within a few weeks he became an internet celebrity among obscure media fans and supplemented the collection with reel-to-reel tapes from the 70s and 80s thanks to tom schwarzrock, who acquired them serendipitously along with a deck he purchased. the tapes are like a consumerist time capsule, a vaporwave trove of eerily familiar corporate ephemera extracted from its original context and purpose. similarly, attention kmart choppers is composed of pieces from this collection chopped up, resculpted, and mosaicked together by juicy the emissary, forming a new, distinctly contemporary sound while inheriting a haunting nostalgia that provokes memories burrowed deep in the subconscious

nick beringer is back on taverna tracks with another bangin ep, dishing out four trippy, dreamy jams with a classic house attitude. the foundation is set!

night tide founder eluize returns to the label with her follow up to last year’s debut release talk in technicolour. her latest five track sonic trip for the forgetful follows 24 hours searching to be lost, finding comfort in the dance floor, time spent after hours and the day that follows. it seeks out soaring highs and sweeping lows covering all energies.

the second installment for the label comes from sheffield based artist tommy vicari jnr. the ep starts with always be here, track which gives the release the name and sets up the mood with an uplifting vibe. rudow explores more esoteric realms, bringing you into deeper states of mind. ramshackles ventures into more dub influenced territory, expansive chords and a twisted beat make it a monster in big sound systems. untoucome closes the ep with a heavy bassline, sprinkled with some tripped out sounds making it perfect for a closing trip.

kalakuta soul records proudly presents the homewreckers new full length album, machinekiss. the ruhr valley-raised trio have been heavily involved in the underground dance music scene for many years and the soulfulness of their output is unquestioned. now machinekiss might come as their masterpiece. recorded over the past three years the album s nine tracks evolved out of a long in-depth investigation of blues and funk recordings from 1910 to 1980. as the sole sonic sources, the musicians - johannes ehmann, gregor pottmeier and krischan wesenberg - use their own music collections, making the work a reflection of their personal and collaborative history and backgrounds.micro particles of guitar chords, organ sounds and drum elements reappear in new contexts and are fused with contemporary synthesizer and bass motifs. the results are deep, rhythmic, complex and eccentric, leading the listener into the melancholic, more obscure sides of urban life.

italian house bastion vibraphone records has more than proven itself in the realms of classic deep house, but this new release from knlb certainly speaks to the new age of the label. the unknown producer makes a stunning entry with -second wind-, an effervescent breakbeat number that harks back to classic 90s mo wax sounds with its resonating piano licks and gritty drum samples. -apollo- meanwhile creates an interesting variation on the dub techno template with a wealth of instrumentation cavorting around a tripped out chord stab, and then -initialize- drifts off into blissful deep house meditation atop a purposeful beat. minimono swoop in to inject some direct funk into their remix of -intialize-, and a very fine job they do of it too.

hot off the heels of his latest release on dirtybird and ahead of a ten date us tour, toolroom favourite weiss is back with the next edition in his weiss city vinyl series with weiss city vol 4. with sell-out self-branded shows all over the world under his weiss city guise, weiss continues to go from strength to strength on the underground house circuit, racking up more and more fans and creating more dance floor anthems along the way. kicking things off on the a-side is his latest weapon, you better run , which offers that signature weiss sound with a serious chunky and funky groove accompanied with a retro vocal and tough, classic sounding pianos. the dub mix sees weiss lay down a tougher and darker take on the original with additional trippy synth patterns, this is one for the more forward-thinking floors. the b-side sees weiss team up with label favourite harry romero with the contagious, chunky, groover, let me show ya and rounding off the package is feel for me with its funky, infectious baseline and hooky vocals. four essential slices of dance floor mayhem from one of toolroom s main men, not to be missed!

für das 13. album haben sich the charlatans tatkräftige unterstützung von freunden und namhaften musikern geholt. so beteiligten sich neben dem ehemaligen the verve-drummer pete salisbury, anton newcombe von the brian jonestown massacre und stephen morris (new order), der bereits beim vorgängeralbum “modern nature” (2015) dabei war, auch johnny marr von the smiths an den aufnahmen der songs. schriftsteller ian rankin und lampchops kurt wagner lieferten spoken word-passagen für die songs “future tense” und “the forgotten one”, und die schriftstellerin/schauspielerin sharon horgan den hintergrundgesang zum track “different days”. das albumfinale “spinning out” bestreitet sänger tim burgess zusammen mit paul weller.
pressung auf schwarzem vinyl, downloadcode inklusive.

vinyl only release. limited to 500 copies. full support by raresh, tini... sander baan is resident of the infamous cdv in berlin. he joins what.if for his first release in a while with -dub tools ep-. two useful, groovy and nice tools to shake the dancefloors and afterparties all around. to finish up a perfect release, altitude and topper remixes on the b side.

the swell ep follows a similar formula to release number five back in march. three originals and two tool tracks all from label boss mike gervais. many cut from the same cloth as release five. all good things we think.elegant restraint leaves the element stack slim and the sonic field open. backed by a thumping kick and sputtering resonant basslines while familiar machine hats shimmer in and out.

for the past four years francesco leali kept busy running parachute alongside co-owners manfredi romano and thomas feriero, producing under different monikers and touring the globe as half of cw/a. finally back as clockwork, leali reveals a five track ep featuring some of his rugged music to date. a briery shift into foggier territories where leali explores layered sound-design and broken rhythms, something he had only hinted in his previous work. online entity depicts lealis hindrance with modern societys social networking obsession. in contrast to what these services were actually intended for, leali explains, they seem to have impacted a lot of people negatively, resulting in unnecessary resentments, misinformation and feelings of proximity when these tools can easily alienate you from reality. constantly worrying about how you want people to perceive you is absurd already, but for many of us this constant sharing has become the only way to achieve happiness, to be satisfied. in an era where all of this is getting out of hand its essential to remind yourself of the things that truly shape you as an individual. with online entity i aimed for feelings of release, mutating resentments into something positive - more physical. i imagined it as a soundtrack to an escape from these very situations. the release showcases this approach with five club-ready numbers filled with calculated, pounding drums and gloomy atmospheres, with only rare glimpses of hope scattered throughout. to round things up we mobilised fellow parachute affiliate ayarcana and serbian techno pro lag who both deliver two startling interpretations of escape sequence and rumination.

this is kollaps first full length album after having gained recognition from releasing vinyl only excursions on grade10 records and remixing work for darkstar on warp records. the record has been pressed on to 180 gram vinyl and is has been mastered at star delta. the album comes with a full colour glossy sleeve and centre labels which reflect the music within. they have had their music played by benji b as well as radio 6 and other more underground radio stations. their last release on grade10 got great reviews in the fader, who said i rarely have the occasion to use the word magnificent, but the releases a-sidean epic 7-minute number titled misery has squeezed all the other words out of my head.

the motionless present is a collection of unreleased poems and soundscapes by the philadelphia-based artist and activist camae ayewa, who performs as moor mother. reverberating and rumbling through the thoracic cavity, few records spoke to the contemporary black american experience quite like moor mother’s 2016 protest album fetish bones. her first new material since that visceral and political work,the motionless present is a statement towards understanding the disconnect between humanity and injustice. the release features various new collaborations and previews of upcoming projects: black quantum futurism, moor jewelry, mental jewelry, 700 bliss and more. the motionless present was created in collaboration with the vinyl factory ahead of moor mother’s ctm festival performance at berghain. artwork designed by bcmh using the collage artwork of grassi.

fiesta to go! if you ever had the chance to dance while c.a. ramirez drives the controls, you know what kind of dj he is. far out, always around, full of soul & passion and driven by one goal: to unite them all.

straight from the ghetto!
dance mania re-release from 1997 with a new hot chicago house remix by south side underground in 2017.
mastered at schatz.mastering.studio
supported by dj deeon & dj krime

after a long hiatus the fasaan recordings crew finally emerges from their basement to break out a second volume of their chalice imprint. functioning as a looser side vehicle to fasaan, chalice is a home for rawer and more uncompromising side projects of the fasaan crew and their extended family. honing in on a murky zone of cheap-sounding machine rhythms and punchy boogie-influenced proto-house sounds, the chalice style is in your face and then out the door just like that: take it or leave it.

kid drama’s debut metalheadz release is one that is set to shake up this 4-year-old alias as he heads in a direction that’s slightly more focussed on the dancefloor, whilst managing to subtly retain some of the elements that have seen him become so loved in the deeper and more experimental side of drum and bass. the ‘trife ep’ proves how much of a talent kid drama is, from the savage bassline in ‘brutal d’ to the late 90s techstep vibes of ‘articulation’ all the way to ‘payback’, which is a track that could have easily come out under his and boddika’s instra:mental moniker. this is an extremely well-rounded project and one we’re delighted to be releasing on metalheadz.

for the fifth installment big gosu manuel is in charge. delivering four tripped out minimalistic techno tunes. stay geil

hypnotic grooves and deep evolving atmospheres: straight out of argentina comes yanee, a man whose back catalogue includes releases on labels such as hangover, newfact music, cyclic, savor music, act natural to name but a few. limited, vinyl only, hand stamped

new album from philippe hallais, aka low jack blissed out and emotive instrumental ambient pieces somewhere between shoegaze, dream pop and futuristic 1980’s documentary music

in 2016. i rented out a small piano studio in east london for nearly the whole year and set out to write an introspective, trendless, and mostly beatless album. inspired by albums from this mortal coil and scott walker, who also sought freedom to work outside of the expectations of their previous work, i limited the instrumentation to mostly an acoustic piano and effects, which left space to expose a lot of emotional vulnerabilities about myself and people close to me. writing lullabies about being a mother in a dystopian world, with pensive words about swimming against the current as a female artist, i felt free enough to tell untold truths that i’ve never felt comfortable talking about within music. free, liberated, empowered. naked.

initial listens to inre rymden (swedish for inner space) reveal it to be a curious combination of slow-motion house music and salubrious new age funk. in this case, first impressions are accurate, and they should intrigue you enough to dive deeper into the paradisiacal vistas tommy awards paint here. the opening track prometheus introduces that feeling of sundown deliquescence that very few musicians can summon, as it locks into a laid-back groove that induces utmost serenity, buoyed by sublimely mellow guitar vibes that should make fans of manuel gšttsching s ashra and phil manzanera s solo output spring to attention. draget conjures the sort of exquisite elegance and preternatural chill last heard on roxy musics 1982 lp avalon but somehow its even more blissed out than that boudoir classic. and so it goes for most of inre rymden: among the six tracks, only rexy hints at tension, courtesy of a bass line that sounds like it should score a prisoners walk to the electric chair. but thats tempered by guitar sighs of radiant melancholy, not unlike those lofted by popol vuh s daniel fichelscher. even when inre rymden gets relatively uptempo, as on hans logan, it still glides like gilded, glazed, balearic house jams, urged on by subliminal bongos and dappled with pastel guitar shimmers far off on the horizon. music is love and love is our music, runs tommy awards slogan (a sentiment beautifully echoed by david crosby on his revered 1971 album if i could only remember my name), but one could also argue that it is medicine a balmy ear massage that spreads healing frissons to all areas of your body and mind. tommy awards continue their miraculous act as scandinavians channeling the tropics with stunning audio verisimilitude.

hiding slightly out of plain sight, australian producer mood j has been secretly crafting lush house jams for the last half decade bubbling just under the visible surface.
with the artist and asquith having briefly touched base at the beginning of the label’s journey, it took only a chance encounter in a ballarat bungalow in 2016 to reignite the flames of the artist-label relationship. jimmy surprisingly bumping into jon (mood j), as he was daze’s housemate in aus, whilst the lobster crew were on tour there.
mood j’s hard drive was stashed with archive of warm, sizzling, analogue studio tracks cooked to the nines, and so here we are just over 14 months later with the full epic debut in hand.

physical therapy assembles a flurry of kicks and thick breaks around deep subs and tender harmonies. lush moments are balanced with saturated rhythms, pushing the momentum in each tune. spoken words skip over dubbed out synths on more sugar, always a euphoric treat on the dance floor! on the b-side, pt flexes for the verdant tropical techno of string thing. play at 45 for the desensitized mix or slow things down to 33 for a balearic sensitized mix. both mixes available direct from the sounds of beaubien ouest bandcamp.

the new erasure album on music cassette / tape with download code included.

after a handful of 12-s for labels like hessle, liberation technologies and his own imprint b.s hell, bandshell returns with a knock out blow for ftd!
mutant drum structures, cascading synths and industrial bell ringing forms the backdrop to bandshell’s latest work. those paying close attention to his output over the years will remember his work on labels like hessle audio, liberation technologies and his own recently setup b.s. hell.

the latest transmission from the world of gunnar haslam, kalaatsakia wildly sprawls across the intersections of techno and more abstract sounds to take us on a wideranging journey from the subterranean to the coastal, from blown-out dub tones through fractured rhythms. an incredible work that is not easy to pigeonhole, kalaatsakia is a full length album that navigates and sketches landscapes where new languages are created from old, dead ones to emerge as the lingua franca of interconnected immersive zones.

new years deal - a1 - luc marianni - six synthetic suites (anno stamm remix) berlin producer anstam’s remix of six synthetic suites is quite a trip. the producer has crafted a dubbed-out version, almost sub aquatic in its sound design, structured around a murky but driving techno beat on which he layers marianni’s sounds. exotic instruments, unusual timbres, daring melodies and even slapped bass: the contrast between these sounds and stamm’s grayscale groove is powerful. a2 vril - synthetic suite giegling artist vril uses samples from marianni’s six synthetic suites released in 1986 to produce this lovely slab of dub techno. carefully crafted, this track is all about soft edges, with a kind of blurry and hazy vibe that permeates it. a sense of motion is conveyed by the sparse but efficient rhythmic section, with chords and melodic elements giving the impression of floating. with much more contrast and complexity than it might seem at first listen, this is beyond your usual dub techno cut. b1 luc marianni - six synthetic suites (margaret dygas remix) also based in berlin, margaret dygas’ own remix of six synthetic suites is a deconstructed affair, built around a half step groove, ready to be used creatively in dj sets. somewhere between an ambient excursion and a more rhythmic jam, the producer uses a sparse palette of hallucinogenic, dizzying sounds with a dash of eerie darkness that gives this version a melancholic, unsettling nature. words by edouard isar.

paul blackford returns to cpu this time donning a 7inch downtempo tip. light years vinyl takes 2 of the highlights from the accompanying lp, all of which demonstrate his versatility in expressing his hip hop and funk influences from an electronic music perspective. on first pass you might think you are listening to nightmares on wax, but without the heavy sampling as blackford favours creating his sounds from scratch. comparisons to photeks hidden camera can be made in terms of atmosphere but keeping things within a slower trip hop framework. light years is for chilling out, but theres a strong temptation to mix hip-hop vocals over the top due to the lps solid instrumental foundations.

reda dare comes back with his own brand new imprint, reda dare records. for this ep, he decided to press three of his smoothest tunes. the wax’s a-side is the one and only ‘albadare’, representing his classic strict groovy mindset and bouncy harmonies. then comes ‘orgy of the dead’ an old school hip-hop inspired house track, with a heavy bassline and a festive rhythm. finally, the vinyl ends with ‘x’ a spookier vibe that’s perfect to set the dance floor back on track. this limited issue is a collection of reda dare’s finest over the years, don’t miss out ,)

respected house and techno artist dj deep returns to rekids with four murky productions this june. having been a staple in the parisian scene for over two decades, dj deep’s vast knowledge of electronic music is indisputable making his return to production in recent years all the more exciting, releasing on tresor, rekids, and his highly regarded label deeply rooted. ‘la grande brasserie’ features rolling kicks and a subtle rhythm as futuristic stabs ebb in and out of the mix, contrasting to the ‘2e service’ version which, whilst sharing a similar aesthetic, sounds bigger with its echoing synths and infectious claps. on the flip, both tracks are more dark and mellow in comparison, ‘paris heartbeat’ demonstrates twisted atmospherics and gloomy elements, whilst the intricate and mesmerising ‘chord kids’ is exemplary of dj deep’s ability to craft imaginative left-of-centre cuts.

jerome hill is back on his don t label and presents 4 road tested tracks lovely limited grey marbled vinyl in a poly sleeve ! fresh from outings on super rhythm trax, killekill and power vacuum, and following on from april s toy box part one , jerome hill is back to complete the series with part two, presenting four raucous technoid trax in glorious technicolour, striking out and injecting some humour and rowdiness into the techno landscape. -donkey bite- is the one everyone s talking about, borrowing an old vocal sample and updating it into a pleasurably rolling chicago style banger that will appeal to fans of his track -it s time for the-... next up is -slither-, that does what it says on the tin... a creepy and subliminal sludgy bass roller! flip the record for the deranged, banging and distinctly wormy -mr. worm- and then the toy box saga finishes up as unconventionally as it began, with the lop sided lumber of -torque talk-. available on lovely grey marbled vinyl.

local talk is proud to welcome back marcel lune for the release of his album astral palms. on this album marcel continues to explore his fascination for melodies and composition and has created something that is wonderfully refined and thrillingly accessible. listening to astral palms some may hear the influence from such great artists as floating points and local talk very own crackazat. what marcel is doing is fusing the two and adding his twist with enough originality to stand out from the rest. from the opening track and throughout the album, you get the idea of this young genius musical universe music that aims to both soothe the senses and move the feet. astral palms is not only offering a unique twist on melodious and rhythmic house music, it also highlights marcel lune growth as an artist

there are hundreds of bootlegs out there to sate the ravenous soulero set, and so often they incorporate songs in the vast numero catalog. rather than beat them, numero joins them with our answer to the iconic east side story series. eschewing our classic look and standard-bearing copious notes for sardonic artwork and impeccable selections, numbero is proud to present a ‘bootleg’ you can be proud of (because it’s all licensed). this time we’ve set our sights on the most unique of soul cultures: the irreplicable melting pot of san antonio. included here are all songs never before issued other than in minuscule pressings on 45, never distributed outside of bexar county limits.

following the success of the now sold out freundchen ep, true romance revisits the disco anthem with this hot hot hot trio of remixes, right in time for the summer. on the a side, red rack’em puts freundchen through his cut and paste wizardry delivering a heavily filtered, bass heavy, hypnotic disco version. on the flip, lauer cranks up the groove and unleashes the pianos for a classy house rendition that oozes sunshine and smiles. russian producer phil gerus’s gets gritty on his take, bringing the track on a mad chopped up italo road.

midnight riot returns to rio to join joutro mundo one of the hottest producers in the game. just in time for festival madness he delivers round 2 in his much loved brazilian boogie & disco series featuring joeblack, rafael fernandez & facchinetti. here we have 4 tracks of pure dynamite coming from the land of the hot groove. teasing us throughout with his trademark hypnotic acid squelches over a deep sun drenched horn sections, funky guitars & fluid keyboard hooks that makes you feel like summer will never end. its another album of total floor busters, the perfect high for all disco - funk & house jocks out there who love to drop a little bit of that south american magic for their sets. dj support dj harvey, horse meat disco, psychemagik, danny krivit, greg wilson, dr packer, pete herbert

next up on hell yeah is -the most balearic record i have ever released- according to label boss & it comes from japan s disco don max essa which features a four part track, themes from the hood, the cad, & the lovely, on one side of vinyl, and two more on the flip. essa was born matthew bruce and the uk artist has now been releasing his blissed out beats on labels like feel music, electric minds, bear funk and is it balearic? recording for a decade. a prolific producer whose big hits like panorama suite/uptown vibration (is it balearic?) from 2010 have long been in the hell yeah boss s record bag, essa first approached the label with a bunch of tracks. a good correspondence alchemy ensued and together the artist and label decided to put out the most timeless 12inch possible. the exquisitely ambitious themes from the hood, the cad, & the lovely is almost 12 minutes of serene ambient synth work that is like a soundtrack to a hot summer s day. heavenly chords sound just like a breathy female vocal and as they come and go, one finger piano tinkles add real emotional beauty and gentle twinkles shimmer in the distance. half way through lazy drums propel things along at a loveably lethargic pace and immediately place you on the beach. on the flip, saguaro is just as organic and beautiful, but has tumbling drums, wooden hits and soft claps as well as essa s magical synth work all bathing your soul in warm rays. b2 buran chime is perfectly horizontal and expansive, with tinkling triangles, angelic chords and scattered hits and harpsichord sounds all radiating effusively. this is timeless music that will calm busy minds now and forever.

am 2. juni wird das neue album -home counties- der northern soul-legende saint etienne via heavenly recordings als cd, 2lp und digital erscheinen. für das coverartwork des insgesamt neunzehn stücke umfassenden werks zeigt sich der englische künstler scott king verantwortlich. das album wurde von shawn lee (young gun silver fox), unter mithilfe von augustus (kero kero bonito), carwyn ellis (colorama, edwyn collins), robin bennett (the dreaming spires), richard x (girls on top / black melody) und dem langjährigen mitstreiter gerard johnson (denim, yes) produziert und von sarah, bob und pete innerhalb von sechs wochen in london eingespielt und aufgenommen.

anglo-cherokee-japanese skateboarder turned musician korey dane returns with his second album chamber girls. influenced by the likes of t.s. eliot, tom waits, karen dalton, the beatles and the stones, and more, chamber girls was recorded almost completely live at l.a.’s analog time capsule valentine recording studios, searing instinct and experience direct to tape. dane produced everything himself, too, except for a quick assist from legendary producer tony berg (x, public image ltd.) on one song, and he was inspired by the deceptively simple ethos he’d internalized while making youngblood: pursue greatness. “writing a song that you know someone might skip over later is sacrilege,” he says. instead, he wanted every song on chamber girls to feel not only live but alive, too, with that go-forbroke spirit that animates everything he says, does, or sings: “i’m writing all the time,” he says. “i’ve lived by a line a day sometimes. i try and stop when it’s good. if you try and simplify it down to its bare elements ... it’s truly a redemptive act.”

after kicking off in some style, max d. blas and alex piccini s monologue label follows up with a second sizzling release, this time from yaya & lorenzo chiabotti. the first monologue release received great feedback from the likes of villalobos, raresh and matthew dear amongst others, and yaya and chibotti, fire out three original cuts here, that also come with a remix from robert dietz that ensures this is another massive package.

extreme-orient, technoïd and abstract shades. new outgrowth of the blaník research program, the young korean artist seaen lee offers a four tracker speculative/experimental hybrid techno research. its about fierce and heading forces, flashing shades coming out of nowhere. these aquatic and abyssal hummings, among other technoïds and abstract blushes, have no other choice but to take out for real. must be used with wise hands.